Best mattress 2020: quick links

Welcome to T3's official ranking of the best mattresses 2020. Investing in a quality mattress; one which suits your sleeping style and preferences; can be a real game-changer. It can be the difference between waking feeling well-rested and ready to face the world, and sleep-walking grouchily through your day. It can also rid you of those niggly aches and pains you thought were just part of life now.

If you're not sure which the best mattress is for you, you're in the right place. We've reviewed all the leading brands to put together this definitive ranking of the best mattresses 2020, with options for every sleeping style and budget.

So whether you like to lie on your front, side or back, or find your bedmate's nocturnal wriggling is keeping you up, or need something supportive to keep your back and shoulders happy, we've found the best mattress for you. And because mattresses preferences can be very personal, we've taken into account our own experiences as well as other customers' reviews.

Just because you can't head to the shops to test out potential upgrades at the moment doesn't mean a new mattress is off the cards. The vast majority of mattress retailers are still trading as usual, with minimal (if any) delays to delivery and no-contact delivery. And if your new purchase doesn't suit you, most of these brands offer generous trial periods (up to a full year!) so you'll be able to return with no issues.

Our dedicated tool also pulls in the best prices around, so you can be sure you're not paying over the odds on your purchase. If you've been exploring your options, you'll know that mattress brands frequently have sales, so chances are you'll be able to pick up a great cheap mattress deal if you're savvy.

Reasons to avoid

The Emma Original mattress is exceptional. It’s comfortable, supportive in all the right places – and with a full five stars in our Emma mattress review, it’s the highest-scoring mattress we've ever tested. Comprising three layers of foam (25mm of Airgocell foam on top to relieve pressure and aid ventilation; 20mm of memory foam for pressure relief and support; and a firm 195mm foam foundation), this medium-firm mattress has been designed to suit all types of sleeper. And it does. We love it – and so do thousands of users: it boasts an excellent 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 6,000 reviews on consumer review site Trust Pilot.

The Emma Original also comes with some nice extras, such as a removable, machine-washable cover, and handles for rotating (you don’t have to flip it). At full price, it sits comfortably at the cheaper end of the mid-range market. But there's usually a decent discount to be found, helping the Emma Original mattress completely undercut the competition. It's outrageous value for money.

Like many of the mattresses in this guide, the Emma Original is a bed-in-a-box mattress, so you buy it online and it arrives at your door, vacuum-packed in a conveniently sized box. It takes just two hours to expand into shape. Add together the luxurious comfort, competitive price and its incredible review results, and there are some very compelling reasons to choose the Emma Original. We think it's the best mattress you can buy. Plus, the 100-day, love-it-or-return-it trial and healthy 10-year guarantee help take the pain out of decision-making.

If you like the sound of the Emma Original but would prefer a hybrid mattress with a spring layer, you're in luck. Emma reintroduced its first ever mattress, the Emma Hybrid, in early 2020. We gave it four stars in our Emma Hybrid review.

The Eve Premium Hybrid is another five-star mattress. Like the Emma Original, this bed-in-a-box mattress is exceptionally supportive and very, very comfortable to sleep on. However, there are subtle differences between the two mattresses. Firstly, the Eve Premium Hybrid is, as the name suggests, a hybrid. It combines five layers of soothing foam with 1,500 full-sized pocket springs that provide additional support and pressure relief, and help make the mattress more breathable. We found it slightly cooler to sleep on than the all-foam Emma Original.

It’s also firmer than the Emma. And at 28cm deep (don’t worry, standard sheets still fit) the Eve Premium Hybrid feels a little more luxurious too. In fact, were the comparison to end here, the Eve Premium Hybrid would just have the edge on the Emma Original. But factor in price and the balance tips. A double Eve mattress costs £250 more than the Emma, while a king size Eve is £350 more expensive - that’s a considerable difference.

Ultimately, the Eve Premium Hybrid is an outstanding mattress and well worth the money (it’s also a particularly good choice for anyone who tends to overheat at night). It’s just that the superb Emma Original is cheaper - which is why the Eve Premium Hybrid just misses out on the best mattress crown.

See more Eve mattresses: Save up to 30% on the Eve Original | Eve
Trusted UK brand Eve Sleep makes five mattresses in total. The most popular is best-selling memory foam mattress Eve Original, from £279 (was £399), pictured, but there’s also the Eve Hybrid (from £549), Eve Premium (£899) and our favourite, the Eve Hybrid Premium (£899) to choose between, plus the Eve Cot mattress (£149) for kids up to age six. Browse all Eve mattresses nowView Deal

A whopping 365-night trial and lifetime warranty differentiates the Nectar memory foam mattress from the numerous other bed-in-a-box brands. Its pricing and sizing are broadly in line with the more 'established' challenger mattress brands (Emma, Simba, Eve, Casper and so on), but Nectar gives you an entire year to decide whether it’s right for you – that's impressive. The company is also climate neutral: all emissions are offset by various global schemes, including an Amazon forest protection programme.

Delivery works like a dream. Amazingly, even the enormous Nectar Super King model comes packaged in a very manageable box, and it’s light enough for one person to wrestle into position. Admittedly, it smells a bit at first – most of these memory foam mattresses do – but it soon settles down.

Comfortable from the minute Nectar comes out of its minimal packaging, it offers a medium-to-firm support level that suits any type of bed and all kinds of sleepers. There's a bit of give in the top layer, which neatly moulds around the body, while a complicated supporting base layer adds the required firmness for a peaceful sleep. We're not sure how well the adaptive cooling cover top layer works (it's supposed to draw heat away from the body) but we can say the matching pillows – which use similar memory foam tech – are totally dreamy.

Nectar is a great mattress, and extremely comfortable at that, while the 365-day money-back trial proves just how confident this company is that it’s created one of the best mattresses you can buy. Most mattress-in-a-box brands offer only a mere 100 nights. We recommend buying straight from Nectar, which promises 'the best available price' at all times.

Reasons to buy

+Feels like a luxury mattress+Brilliant price+Loads of awards+Minimal motion transfer

Reasons to avoid

-Might be too firm for some (we love it though)

The Otty mattress is a fantastic hybrid mattress, combining 2,000 pocket springs with three layers of foam for maximum comfort and pressure relief. At 140mm, the Otty’s pocket springs are its headline feature – they’re much more generous in length than those in the Simba Hybrid (20mm) below.

The other headline feature is its price: at full price, the Otty is cheaper than most of the other best mattresses in this guide, with a double and king-sized Otty mattress coming in at £599.99 and £699.99 respectively, versus £749 and £849 for the Simba Hybrid. Add regular seasonal mattress deals into the equation, and the Otty is significantly cheaper than most other bed-in-a-box mattresses in the UK. (Otty price-matches its competitors too: if you do find a cheaper comparable mattress, they'll match the price.)

We reviewed the OTTY Hybrid mattress for a few month and were extremely impressed. It feels like a luxury mattress, with its body-moulding reflex and memory foam layers, and supportive springs. It isn’t just us who like it either. It’s the only boxed mattress company so far to be awarded with a prestigious NBF (National Bed Federation) Award.

The Otty is slightly on the firmer side of medium thanks to those pocket springs, so if you’d prefer a softer, fully pocket-sprung mattress, we’d recommend the Sealy Nostromo further down our best mattress guide. But if medium to medium-firm is what you like – and you want a touch of luxury for a budget price – we think the Otty is the best-value hybrid mattress right now. See how it compares to Simba's efforts in our Otty Hybrid vs Simba Hybrid showdown.

Reasons to buy

+Very comfortable+Extremely supportive+100-day trial

Reasons to avoid

-No handles to rotate mattress

The Simba Hybrid claims to be the most advanced mattress in the world. It consists of five layers, including a unique layer of up to 2,500 conical pocket springs, foam, responsive memory foam, a 'Simbatex' cooling layer to reduce overheating, and a hypoallergenic outer cover. It's been designed to deliver a great night’s sleep, regardless of your body type or sleeping style, thanks to Simba's patented conical pocket springs.

They pivot in their pockets to adapt to your body shape while you sleep, giving you full body support. It’s particularly good for side sleepers; but the springs also reduce motion transfer between sleepers, so you won’t notice your partner tossing and turning. Don’t expect the Simba Hybrid Original to feel like a typical pocket-sprung mattress, though. It may have thousands of springs, but at 25mm they’re much smaller than those you’d find in other pocket sprung or hybrid mattresses.

Unlike other mattresses, this bed-in-a-box isn’t labelled by firmness: the manufacturer calls it 'perfect' and says it suits every kind of firmness fan. (We found it to be medium, for the record, when we tested it.) Thousands of online reviewers have testified that this is one of the best mattresses you can buy, with the only real quibble being the lack of handles for rotating the mattress.

The makers are so confident you'll love it, there’s a 100-day no-quibble trial: if you don’t like it, you can return it within that time for a full refund. If you're looking for a hybrid mattress, the Simba mattress is an excellent choice for most people.

Reasons to buy

+Design encourages back support and spinal alignment+Three firmness levels to choose from

Reasons to avoid

-Cover not removable-Only 4 sizes available

Next in our ranking of the best mattresses is the Lux from British brand Brook + Wilde. This mattress sits at the the more premium end of the market, with a design that combines seven different layers to provide the ultimate in night-time support. The make-up includes two separate layers of pocket springs (one larger, one smaller) to provide bounce and flexible support, a layer of memory foam to keep you cool and eliminate motion transfer, and specialised support foam for structure and solidity.

This mattress is engineered to move in tandem with your body as you shift about, keeping your spine aligned, supporting your shoulders and hips, and reducing pressure points. You can also pick your firmness – soft, medium or firm – to suit your preferences. And with the 100-night trial, if you find you've chosen poorly you can swap your mattress for one of the other two levels, free of charge (or go for a full refund if you prefer). We tested the medium option, and found it provided an excellent, extremely supportive night's sleep (for more information, read the full Brook + Wilde Lux mattress review).

The Lux comes rolled and vacuum-packed, and Brook + Wilde will install it in a room of your choice (there are precautions currently in place, check the website for details).

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

- May be too firm for some

The REM-Fit 500 Ortho Mattress is a premium orthopaedic mattress aimed at people who wake up with back and joint pain. It’s a hybrid mattress, combining 2,000 orthopaedic pocket springs with five layers of cushioning, supportive foam. And it’s firm: we rated it an 8 out of 10 for firmness (with 10 being the firmest). That makes it one of the firmer mattresses in this guide, and it did take us a few nights to get used to, but once we did, we were blown away by how comfortable it is.

The REM-Fit 500 Ortho is very, very supportive. A Mediflex foam layer moulds to the shape of your body and correctly aligns your spine, while the orthopedic springs provide provide upper and lower back support. There’s also just the right amount of luxury memory foam to cushion pressure points like your shoulders, hips and knees.

You won’t get too hot sleeping on the REM-Fit 500 Ortho, either. We found that the cool gel-infused memory foam layer worked well, even during a heatwave. It isn't the cheapest, but if you suffer from aches and pains at night, we think the REM-Fit 500 Ortho is one of the best mattresses you can choose. It’s also a great option for couples thanks to its low motion transfer, and has great edge support (so you can snuggle right up to the edges without them buckling). If you’re not sure whether a firm mattress is right for you, give the 100-night trial a go.

With celebrity backers, nearly 1,000 delighted Amazon reviews and several shelves full of awards, the Casper mattress changed the world of mattresses when it burst onto the scene. The majority of customers are delighted with its coolness, comfort and delivery in an impossibly small box.

It’s billed as a medium-to-soft mattress that uses four distinct layers of support, and while there’s memory foam in there, it isn’t as simple as a sprung mattress with a thin layer of foam on top or an overly soft foam and latex combination. The end result is soft as well as supportive, and it’s proven popular with people who have dodgy backs. Larger sizes can be expensive, but when you consider how many hours you’ll spend in bed (not to mention the potential joy of having less back pain) this mattress is not a lot of money for what you get. As with other bed-in-a-box options, the no-quibble trial period should guarantee you won't end up unhappy.

This is one of the softer mattresses you can buy. Whether that's better or worse is subjective, but some literally 'heavier' sleepers may find they 'sink through' the soft top layer and are then supported almost entirely by the firmer lower layer. The good news is, you've got 100 days to decide if you prefer that sensation or not – and if you need to delivery outside of this trial period, you just need to contact Casper before your trial runs out.

Reasons to buy

+Fantastic support and comfort+Great for allergy sufferers+Cool even in summer+Very durable

Reasons to avoid

-Not the best for heavier people

The Sealy Nostromo – also known as the Pocket Teramo 1400 – is an outstanding pocket sprung mattress. It has seven zones with 1,400 pocket springs, tencel fibres, a latex comfort layer and a luxurious 29cm depth. It’s also more durable than most, and it’s both hypoallergenic and pleasantly cool, even in hot weather.

Suitable for all sleepers – back and side sleepers in particular – this mattress works well with most body types, although if you’re a taller or heavier-than-average back sleeper you might prefer the Eve Original mattress below, which gives exceptional back support. Which? magazine made it a best buy, Allergy UK has given it their seal of approval and there’s a five-year warranty for peace of mind. Amazon tends to sell it with a decent discount on the RRP too (although right now Mattress Online has slashed the price in half) so it’s worth buying online rather than in a shop.

At 17cm, the Dormeo Memory Plus is thinner than many mattresses, so it might not be ideal for heavier people or slatted bases, but it consistently receives excellent user reviews (averaging 4.7/5 on the Dormeo website). Like all memory foam mattresses, it’s important to rotate this one frequently to avoid semi-permanent dips from appearing. But if you look after it properly there’s a decent warranty to really guarantee the peace of mind that leads to a good night’s sleep.

Specifications

Reasons to buy

+Good all-rounder+Different comfort zones+Very supportive

Reasons to avoid

-Requires turning-On the firm side of medium

Silentnight’s Eco Comfort Pocket 1200 is a cheaper pocket sprung mattress than the Sealy 1400 Nostromo above,with a clever solution to the problem of firmness. Rather than deliver the same firmness across the whole mattress, it’s designed with different zones to ensure that the lumbar area of your back gets more support than your shoulders.

That makes it particularly good for anyone whose back needs something firm but who’d rather not wake up with pins and needles everywhere else, and it also means your partner’s movements won’t impact your side of the bed.

There are 1,200 pocket springs and a hypo-allergenic cover, and the 29cm depth is pretty luxurious for a mattress in this price range. There’s a five-year warranty but remember to turn it frequently: pocket sprung mattresses need regular turning to keep their shape.

12. IKEA Morgedal

The cheapest mattress around right now

Specifications

Best for: Small budgets

Sizes: Single - king

Depth: 18cm

Turn: Yes

Filling: memory foam

Comfort: medium

Trial: 90 nights

Guarantee: 25 years

RRP: Single: £125, Double: £165, King: £195

Reasons to buy

+Cheap+Comfortable

Reasons to avoid

-It's basic-Quite thin

Ikea is well known for its odd-sized beds, but in addition to European sizes, the Ikea Morgedal memory foam mattress comes in UK single, double and king size too. It’s a thick foam mattress in a polyester wrapping, and it’s best suited to a slatted bed base or mattress base. Don’t jump on it straight away: it’s delivered rolled up and needs three to four days to return to suitable flatness.

Don’t get your hopes up for lots of specialised layers or cutting-edge tech: Ikea’s mattress is exactly what you’d expect from a big lump of foam, comfortable and fairly immune to the movements of your partner. The foam can get a little damp if you tend to sweat a lot; if you do, a thick mattress protector is a good idea.

There's a 90-day trial period, and it's won a gong from Which?, so it's something of a bargain, despite its distinct lack of bells, whistles and 'challenger brand' credentials. If you're on a tight budget, this is one of the best mattresses you can buy.

Status update: IKEA stores are closed at the moment. You can still order online, but there are some delays in delivery time. Deliveries are all contact-free. Find out more here.

Which type of mattress is best?

Don’t put too much emphasis on mattress type: there’s less difference than ever between mattress materials. Personal factors like your height, weight, body shape, sleeping style and temperature are far more likely to affect how comfortable you find a specific mattress.

Plus, all the picks recommended in our best mattress guide above have been designed to deliver outstanding support and comfort for the majority of people – regardless of their material.

Here's a quick overview of the main mattress types:

Memory foam mattress: made from mouldable material that responds to your temperature and weight, and adapts to your body as you sleep. Great support and comfort. Can be more expensive.

Pocket sprung: supports you with thousands of small springs inside their own fabric pockets. They adapt to your body shape, and isolate movement so you won’t feel your partner tossing and turning.

Hybrid: offers a combined support system, often with a pocket-sprung base and memory foam top layer. They’re responsive, supportive and popular with people who want the best of both worlds.

Continuous and coil: made from a single looped wire, or from single springs fixed with one wire. These are cheaper and less likely to give a good night’s sleep.

Bed in a box: this refers to a delivery method, in which mattresses are compressed, rolled or folded into a box for easy home delivery. They’re usually foam, or a memory foam and spring combination.

How to choose the best mattress for you

Before buying a mattress, make sure it’s the right size. Your mattress – like your bed – should be 10cm longer than the tallest person sleeping in it. It should also be wide enough for you and a partner to put your hands under your head without your elbows touching (or without touching the edge of the mattress if you’re not sharing).

Next, do the hand test: lying down on your back, push your hand under the small of your back. If you can’t, the mattress is too soft; if the gap is very large, it’s too hard. And if you have a partner, make sure they try it, too: what feels fine on your own may be like a bouncy castle with someone else on board.

Lastly, also check whether a mattress needs turning. Many don’t these days, but if you’re considering one that does, make sure it has handles.

What is the best mattress?

We think the Emma Original is the best mattress in 2020. It's outrageously comfortable, extremely supportive and it’s highly durable too – so it’ll last. Plus, it's cheaper than many of its competitors, making the mattress exceptionally good value for money.

We also really like the excellent OTTY Hybrid mattress, second in our list, with its generous 140mm pocket springs and three layers of foam. However, the right mattress for you will depend on your personal preferences and budget.

We've got something for everyone below, so read on for our pick of the best mattresses you can buy right now.